Betrayed
by behind-the-green-door
Summary: Post The Golden Lily. Sydney's POV. Adrian is willing to fight for Sydney, but does she feel the same way? Will his witty charm finally win her over for good?
1. Chapter 1

Post~ The Golden Lily  
Sydney's POV

I pulled up to the curb across the road from Spencer's, so tired that I almost forgot to lock Latte. Man, I needed a caffeine boost. I strolled across the near empty street not bothering to check if a car was coming. Lately I had been too exhausted to even motivate myself to drive to Spencer's. I don't know what that was all about though; I loved coffee more than anything else in the world. As soon as I opened to door to my favourite place, I was hit by the amazing aroma of coffee and all the different flavours that went in it. Mint was my favourite. Trey wasn't working today so I felt like I could truly be alone. These past couple of days I have been doing favours for everyone. Jill needed help with some chemistry homework, and although I love the subject I found my mind wandering. Ms Terwilliger had asked me to help her transfer more spells into English, as she wasn't great with Japanese. I told her I could do them by myself but she insisted she had to be there. Even Eddie wanted some help with maths homework. I just needed a timeout. Spencer's seemed like the place to go.  
When the barrister called out my coffee I nearly ran up to collect it. I was getting sick of the little one-cup instant coffee maker I had in my dorm, it wasn't even close to this. I turned to go and sit in the corner booth, where I always sat, but someone was there. They had their head down, intently focusing on today's newspaper.

It was Adrian.

As soon as I saw it was him I quickly turned around and went to sit on the other side of the cafe. I purposely sat with my back towards him, knowing that if he saw me there would be no doubt that things would get awkward. I hadn't spoken to him since that night in his apartment. That had been almost a month ago. He had tried calling a few times, but when he figured out I wasn't going to answer he stopped trying. Sitting here slowly sipping my coffee I tried to plan an escape route. One that would mean I could avoid Adrian without seeming rude. There was only the one exit and he just happened to be sitting where he had a clear view of it. It was amazing that he hadn't seen me when I came in, but I suppose he _was_ reading the paper. My mind then went into a panic. _What if he had seen me? What if he was just waiting for the right moment to come over to me? What if there was no way I could avoid talking to him?_ A plan then formed in my head. I would sit here quietly until I finished my coffee then just hope to God that he had left by then. It _definitely _wasn't a fool proof plan, but it was the best I could come up with. I was nearly finished my drink and dared a look over my shoulder. To my absolute relief Adrian was gone. I thought to myself this may be a good day yet. I put my finished coffee cup in the bin and headed out to Latte. As soon as I was out of the doors I froze. Adrian was sitting on my car! _So much for this being a good day. _My first thought was that he better not have dented or scratch my baby.  
I had been avoiding him like the plague but now it would seem there was no way out of it. Walking across the road, again not checking for cars, my heart started beating faster. Adrian looked good. Better than good even. His styled messy hair look was enough to almost make my heart stop. He wore a green dress shirt that matched his eyes perfectly. I had seen this shirt before and it was by far my favourite look for him. I bet he knew it too. I had butterflies in my stomach and my palms were starting to sweat. _What was wrong with me? Why did he have to make me feel this way?  
_"Sage, it's so good to see you," he said flashing that lazy grin of his."I'd say the same, except you're sitting on my car. We've been through this, no body sits on Latte." I fully expected him to get off and apologise, but he just sat there!  
"Come _on_, seriously. Just get off my car and I'll listen to anything you have to say." This caught him off guard, like he wasn't expecting me to listen. He got off almost immediately though. He was silent for what seemed like hours. He opened his mouth to say something then closed it quickly. I decided if he wasn't going to speak then I was going to leave. I started to walk around to the driver's door.  
"What are you doing?" He said.  
"I'm leaving. I've got stuff to do." I realised that I sounded impatient.  
"I wanted to talk to you," he was all serious now. I liked seeing this side of him. He wasn't just sarcastic all the time. I quickly decided I should at least give him a chance.  
"Okay then. What do you want to talk about?" he again seemed caught off guard, and I realised he thought I was going to leave. _Again.  
_"Okay. I know we haven't spoken...in a while, but I was hoping that we could hang out. Like we used to. I miss that. I'm so lonely, and I could really use a friend. And I promise that's it. Just a friend."  
I contemplated his words. _Just a friend._ If only he knew how much more I wanted to be to him than _just a friend._I knew my thoughts were wrong, but I couldn't help thinking them.  
"Sure, anytime." I blurted out. Not realising what it meant until after I had said it. I couldn't be friends with a vampire. And what happened a month ago should never have happened either. The Alchemist in me was telling me I was in way too deep. Get out now. As much as I wanted to listen to that voice, there was this almost magnetic pull, pulling me towards Adrian.  
"Okay, great. How about tomorrow afternoon. We'll meet here at Spencer's at 4pm. Just us two. And don't worry, I've got everything planned."  
Before I could reply he was almost skipping back across the road to where his mustang was parked. I silently cursed myself for not noticing his car before I pulled up. It must have been the caffeine withdrawal.  
As I got in my car I replayed my conversation with Adrian. He wanted to hang out with me. Just us two. Tomorrow. And he had everything planned. _What did that even mean? Was this a date?_ I went over the conversation again and again on my way back to school. _A date? A date with Adrian?_ Oh no. I had fallen prey to his charm and he had taken full advantage of that. There was no way I was telling anyone about this. No doubt Jill would already know though. I hated that bond.

Back at school I went straight to my dorm in hopes that some homework would take my mind of things. No such luck. Half an hour later I found myself knocking on Jill's door. It opened and there she was, grinning the biggest grin and almost jumping up and down with excitement. I shouldn't have expected anything else. Jill pulled me to the bed and started rambling.  
"Oh Sydney! I'm so happy for you! Do you know what you're going to wear yet? How are you doing your hair? Aren't you exciting? I can't believe he finally did it. He asked you out and you said yes!..." She went on and on. I tuned out and started thinking what a horrible idea this really was. If the Alchemists knew about me going on a date with a vampire I'd be sent to a re-education centre for sure. This was bad. This was worse than bad. Now I was wishing I said no to Adrian. _How could I be so stupid?_Vampires and humans don't mix. It's wrong on every level. Jill was shaking my arm.  
"Are you listening to me? We have so much to do before your big date,"  
That was it. I couldn't stand it any longer.  
"It's not a date." I lied. "Just two people hanging out. I don't even know why I agreed to this. Vampires and humans, let alone Alchemists, can't be friends. We can't be anything. This was a bad idea. I need you to call Adrian and tell him something came up and I can't make it." I was more and more realising how bad and wrong this was. I couldn't go through with it.  
"No!" Jill almost shouted. I froze, completely shocked by her. Little Jill never raised her voice. She was quiet and shy.  
"I am not letting you do this to him," she had lowered her voice, but only a fraction. "You agreed to do this. You can't back out. Think about what it will do to him. I don't want to see him upset like he was after Rose. I will help you with your outfit, hair and makeup. You have no say in this. You're going on this date weather you like it or not."  
I was shocked by her outburst so I could only manage a slight nod. She  
seemed satisfied and led me to the door. Her last words were "I better see you here straight after school tomorrow, or else." This was not the Jill I knew. The Jill I knew would never say anything threatening to anyone. I realised that this date was important for her. She needed to see Adrian happy. As I climbed into bed I thought about tomorrow. I would go on this date for Jill, and no one else.

The next day went fairly fast. But I couldn't stop thinking about how wrong this date with Adrian was. I had almost admitted to myself that I had some type of feelings for him, but I couldn't. I wouldn't. It was impossible.  
After school I slowly trudged up the stairs to Jill's room, hoping she had forgotten about the date. No chance. When she opened the door she looked pointedly at her watch and said "You're late." School had officially only finished 7 minutes ago but whatever, I didn't argue. I just wanted this to be over as fast as possible. The getting ready part, the date part, the seeing Adrian part. I wanted it over even before it started. While getting ready it was like I was on auto pilot. Jill did my hair then makeup. Then she dressed me and checked over everything again and again. When she was finally done she pulled me over to the full length mirror.  
"How do you like it?" she asked, still so excited. I stared at my reflection. I couldn't believe it. I was beautiful. Jill had styled my hair so that my Golden Lilly was in full show, yet my hair was down. I had a light brown eye shadow on that matched the thin belt around my waist and my sandals. I also had on hint of clear lip gloss to give my lips a shine. The dress I wore was so cute. It had light blue flowers all over. It had cap sleeves and a square neck. On the rack it would have looked like a five year olds dress, but looking at it on me now, it was gorgeous.  
"It's perfect. Thank you." I answered Jill.  
She rushed me down stairs and out to Latte. Jill shoved me in the car and I wound my window down.  
"Whatever happens, whatever he says or does, just promise me you'll give him a chance."  
"I promise." Jill stepped away from the car and waved goodbye.

In the car now, alone, I was actually a little bit excited. I really didn't want to feel like this, but I couldn't help it. I pulled up at Spencer's and parked in the same spot as yesterday. I was glad to see Adrian wasn't there yet. It meant I had a few more moments to myself. I got out of the car and walked across the road, this time checking for cars. I figured I'd just wait outside Spencer's so I could see when he comes. At last I could hear his mustang turning the corner. Pulling up to the curb Adrian stopped right in front of me. He got out of his car and walked around to where I stood. He looked amazing as always, dressed nice but casual. I was glad I was dressed nice too. While he was walking up to me he was looking me up and down. He took my hands in his.  
"Sydney, you are so beautiful." My heart was fluttering.  
"You clean up good too," I joked and immediately felt stupid for saying it. But he didn't care.  
He led me into Spencer's and took us over to the booth he was in yesterday. We sat down, silence filled the air. Finally after it seemed like he was done looking through my eyes into my soul, he said,  
"I thought we'd grab some coffee, then I want to show you something." I had no problem with that. Coffee sounded great right now. I told him what I'd like and he went to order it. I took this chance to study him. He seemed really happy. Relaxed and happy. It was nice to see that I had that effect on him. While he was waiting for the coffees to be made he glanced over and caught me looking at him. His smile widened. I was about to get up and join him when a tall skinny blonde girl walked right up to him. She was definitely human although she looked a bit like a Moroi. She hugged him like she knew him. Her back was to me so I couldn't see her face, but I could see Adrian's. He had on his seductive smile, and I could tell by his body language that he was flirting with her. I was a bit annoyed by this but it's not like we were dating or anything. He could flirt with whoever he wanted. I heard our coffees get called out. Adrian started to walk to the counter; the blonde girl put a hand on his arm and spun him to face her again. Before I knew it she was kissing him. It wasn't just a quick peck on the check either. It was a full on kiss that made her wrap her arms around his neck. At first he seemed shocked but then he wrapped one arm around her waist. It was a disgusting sight. This kiss wasn't meant to be seen in public. I had had enough. I might have been jealous. But it was more than that. I had forced myself to come and promised Jill I'd give him a chance, but this was crossing the line. I stood up and headed for the door, not sure if I was going to cry or not. I was fumbling in my bag for my keys as passed Adrian and the girl. He must have sensed someone walking past because he stopped kissing her. I was opening the door when I heard him call my name.  
"Sage!" _Sage_, not Sydney. That hurt. "Where are you going?" It was like he was totally oblivious to what I had just witnessed.  
I turn and scoffed.  
"Home." I said. He must have noticed my facial expression then because he said,  
"Oh this, it's not what it looks like." Even me, not romantic at all, knew exactly what that looked like. I turned and ran out the doors, afraid now that I would cry. I wasn't going to let him see that. He was through the doors only a second after me.  
"Sydney, wait." As if I was going to do that. I was across the road now, trying desperately to unlock my car. My eyes were filling up with tears and it was making it hard to see. Just as I unlocked it and opened the driver's door Adrian was there. He slammed to door and stood in front of it so I couldn't get in.  
"I'm sorry." he said. At least he had the decency to apologise, but that wasn't enough. I was in danger of letting my tears escape. I hadn't realised how much I liked him until now. I was angry and I had to admit fairly jealous. I didn't want him to see me like this.  
"I know your type, Adrian. You can't decide who you want. Well, now you won't need to choose. You had your chance with me, and you blew it. And I don't give second chances, so don't bother." And with that I pushed him out of the way and got in my car. I could hear him through the window saying,  
"I'm so sorry Sydney, I messed up. It won't happen again. Please, just stay and we can talk about this." I couldn't bear to look at him because I knew that if I did, I probably would stay. I started the car and drove away. Looking in my rear view mirror I saw Adrian in the middle of the street staring after my car, hands on his head like he wanted to pull his hair out.

A tear rolled down my cheek. I turned back to the road and refused to look back.

* * *

Note: So the thing is.. i loved The Golden Lily so much that i wanted to continue with how i thought it should go. This is my first fanfic, so i hope it reads okay. I will be continuing on with this story, posting a new chapter every couple of days.  
I also have Tumblr, so feel free to follow me :) Mostly i post about VA and Bloodlines, but there is some TMI (the mortal instruments) too :) sydriaan . tumblr . com (no spaces).

Thanks for reading and i hope you will stay with me till the end, which will hopefully have a happy ending (but im not promising anything hehe).

Always and Forever,

behind-the-green-door


	2. Chapter 2

_**CHAPTER TWO**_

A few days had passed since I last saw Adrian. I was so hurt after what happened, but I tried not to think about it or about him. I tried to focus my thoughts on school work, Jill or just anything that would mean I wouldn't feel so jealous and sad. That didn't work though. I constantly found myself thinking about the whole situation. _What if it had been me kissing him? _No. I couldn't think like that. I did the right thing. Walking away for a second time was the best decision, even if I didn't quite understand why I did it in the first place.  
Pushing these thoughts away, I headed down to Jill and Angeline's dorm room. Today was feeding day, and I was dreading it more than usual. It means that I will have to see Adrian. He had conveniently scheduled his feeding at the same time as Jill's so that he didn't have to go to Clarence's alone.  
Jill was happy to see me when I knocked on her door. Maybe she thought that me seeing Adrian today would help things. I didn't dampen her mood and just smiled and lead them down to Latte, were Eddie was waiting.

The drive to Clarence's was just like it always was. No one was talking; we just listened to some popular music on the radio while we thought about stuff. We all used this as down-time. We pulled into Clarence's driveway and I saw _his_ car. A yellow Mustang. My pulse quickened. I wasn't prepared to see him yet. Maybe I would never be prepared. It _was_ Adrian after all. I parked the car and took the keys out of the ignition but just sat there. _What was I going to say to him? How should I react? Should I even acknowledge him?_ I decided to wimp out wait in the car for Jill; I really didn't want to see him. Maybe if he thought I wasn't here it would be better. Angeline and Eddie were out of the car already but Jill turned to me and asked; "You're not coming in?" Jill looked so young just then. I gave my head a slight shake and she understood. She gave me a sympathetic look and headed in after Eddie and Angeline.

Alone in the car now I relaxed a bit. I turned the radio back on and leaned my seat back. It wasn't the most comfortable thing ever, but I would survive. I closed my eyes and listened to the pop music. Halfway through one of the songs the passenger door opened. I bolted upright my eyes open wide. _Adrian_.  
Just the person I _didn't_ want to see. He got in the car, closed the door and turned off the radio, all in one fluid movement. We sat like that for a few minutes. Both unsure what to say. What could be said? My mind was ticking over and over. _Is he mad at me? Angry that I walked away? Maybe he wanted to apologise? Did he expect me to forgive him?  
_He broke the silence first. "How have you been?", he asked awkwardly. My emotions flared. Pure anger. _That's the first thing he could think of?_ I could tell this conversation was going to go badly."_How have I been?", _I asked incredulously. I was on the verge of losing it "You really want to know?", I quickly went on so he didn't have time to answer. "At first I was hurt and angry that you took me out, weather it was a date or not, then ended up kissing some skinny blonde chick that looks half your age. Then I was jealous. The sight of you kissing her was honestly enough to make my blood run cold. I kept thinking to myself 'why do I feel this way? Why should I be jealous? He's a vampire and I have no right to be jealous', then I realised that I should have been the one kissing you not her." I was out of breath. _Where had all this come from? _I hated the way he didn't even say much but I ended up basically telling him how I feel about him, which was news to even me. I finally brought my eyes up to meet his, unsure what his reaction would be. It was the opposite of what I thought.  
He brought his hand up slowly to brush the lily on my cheek. I closed my eyes at his touch. Before I knew it his lips were crushing mine. Every thought I had vanished. This kiss was so full of passion and hunger. There was no way I was stopping it anytime soon. I had subconsciously wanted this for so long. He didn't seem in a hurry to stop either. I felt like I was floating on a cloud. Adrian finally pulled back. He kept his eyes closed, but he had a small smile on his face that seemed to say 'best kiss ever'. Honestly, I felt the same way. It was perfect, he was perfect. Absolutely perfect. Although, there was this one thought tugging at the back of my mind _he's a vampire_. He opened his eyes and I looked away unable to meet his gaze. _What was I thinking? I know. I wasn't thinking._ "That shouldn't have happened." I whispered. Talking too loudly seemed like it would ruin the moment.  
"I know. But you enjoyed it just as much as I did, so don't try to deny it," He was whispering as well.  
"Don't worry I am not going to deny it." I said, defeated. "Adrian, when I'm around you I feel….._something_. I don't know what it is but it's good." He started to look hopeful. I hated to have to tell him this. "But whatever _this_ is, it can't happen. No matter how much you, or I, want it to. The fact is that you are a vampire and I'm an Alchemist. Being with you would mean I would have to give up everything I've ever been taught and everything I've ever believed. Being an Alchemist is my whole life. Is being with you really worth giving up my life? I know it sounds harsh but I have to think logically." His face fell considerably. He had stayed quiet the whole time I was talking, listening intently; like he was really trying to understand where I was coming from. I took a calming deep breath and before i said something that i would really regret, I whispered, "I think you should leave now." I didn't really mean those words; I wanted him to stay forever. But that was impossible.  
He nodded and started to open the door, but turned back to me. "We could keep this a secret. No one but us would know." He was looking a little hopeful again. I wasn't surprised by his words though because I had already thought them.  
My reply was simple, "Yeah, but that's just it, I'll know. I couldn't live like that. I'm sorry." he nodded as if that's what he expected me to say and stepped out of the car but the door remained open.  
"I haven't given up on you, you know. I never will. I will fight for you until the end." There was nothing I could say back to him. He smiled softly, shut the door and walked away. I broke down in tears as soon as his back was to me. I wanted so badly to be with him. I hadn't told him how much he really means to me because then he wouldn't have left. I wanted to tell him that he didn't need to fight for me, that I was already his. But the reality is that I am an Alchemist and he is a vampire. He is the sole reason we Alchemists exist. I knew deep down that his words were true though, he _would_ fight for me. But I was going to fight back. Being together is not an option.

* * *

Note: I hoped you enjoyed this. It turned out a little shorter than i had planned, but dont worry ill make it up soon ;) Also I was thinking that i should really change the title of this. It just doesnt do it justice i dont think. If you have any ideas _please_ let me know. Thanks :)

Always and forever

behind-the-green-door


	3. Chapter 3

_**CHAPTER THREE**_

I was cleaning myself up, whipping away the tears, just and Jill, Eddie and Angeline were coming back. I could tell just by the way Jill was walking that she had _seen_ everything that went down with Adrian and I. She was of the opinion that he loved me so I should give him a chance. I don't think she realises how being an Alchemist stops any sort of relationship with vampires. She is just so innocent. Naive, but innocent.  
Everyone piled into Latte. Angeline and Eddie in the back were just chatting casually, and effortlessly. It seemed like they just clicked in every way. I was so glad they didn't have the problems I had with my love life.  
The drive back seemed extra long. I couldn't wait to get back to my dorm, lock the door and spend the rest of the day under the covers of my bed feeling sorry for myself.  
Although, that didn't happen. Jill took it upon herself to try and cheer me up. First we went to the cafeteria for some food. I couldn't help but feel a little suss that Angeline and Eddie had disappeared. Maybe they were just off making out somewhere. They had been doing that a lot lately, and I thought it was cute but I could tell Jill didn't like it. _I knew exactly how she felt. _When we were done at the cafeteria Jill insisted that I come back to her dorm room. There was no way I could say no so I ended up going along. She opened the door to a dark room, which was not uncommon, but I could sense that something was about to happen. I was right. The lights flashed on and there was Eddie ad Angeline standing there, one holding a tray of whole grain salad sandwiches and the other holding a case of diet pop. On the floor in front of the small TV there was also some popcorn and chocolates next to a small selection of DVDs. I couldn't believe it. They had done all this for me. For me. They owed me nothing but still went to the trouble of making healthy sandwiches and buying diet pop, even though none of them drank it. I felt so special. What was even better was that they had chosen movies that weren't romances, they chose comedies. 'Kick ass' being my favourite of them.  
Eddie was smiling brightly as he spoke. "We thought we'd do something nice for you. Not that you can't do nice things for yourself, but we thought it would be nice to be around friends." he was rambling a bit. Angeline was nodding in agreement.  
"Oh guys, thanks so much! I really needed this." I couldn't express how truly grateful I was. After everything with Adrian it was so nice just to be with friends.  
The night went by quickly and before I knew it I was tucked in my bed ready for sleep to come. It didn't come so easily though, I couldn't turn my brain off. There was too many things to think about. Finally at around 2am my eyelids closed.

I woke up the next day ready for whatever the world would throw at me. I felt a lot better. Last night with my friends had certainly helped. I got ready for school in a breeze, so glad that Monday had finally come.  
I skipped breakfast with the guys in order to do some last minute revision for a chemistry test I had first period. I didn't really need the revision but I figured it couldn't hurt to be on the safe side. As it turns out the test was a walk in the park. The rest of the day passed by easily. I had no thoughts of Adrian or what happened yesterday. I also found myself having fun at lunch with Jill, Angeline and Eddie. We were just mucking around, cracking jokes at each other and occasionally some food was thrown. I kind of felt like a rebel. I had let my guard down a lot today. I was treating the group as friends and not as _evil creatures of the night_. I also appreciated them not making a big deal about the whole thing with Adrian. These guys really were true friends when it came down to it. After school we all gathered on Jill's and Angeline's room to continue hanging out. We were all laughing at a stupid joke Eddie made when my phone in my pocket starting to vibrate. Adrian was calling. There was no way that I was going to answer it in front of everyone here so I just put it back in my pocket and let it ring out. The next thing I know, Jill's phone is ringing. She announces that it is in fact Adrian and steps out of the room to answer it. She was out there for a good 20 minutes. _What on Earth could take that long to say?_ When she finally came back in she had the biggest smile on her face.  
"Adrian just invited us all over. He says he has something to show us." Jill beamed.  
"When does he want us to come over?" Eddie asked.  
"As soon as we can. That's if Sydney's alright with it….." They all looked to me expectantly. _How could I say no?_ I'm sure they would understand if I _did _say no, but I didn't want to take away the only thing Jill has to look forward too.  
"It's fine with me. Let's go now then, if everyone is ready." They all got up straight away and we headed down to Latte. We crammed in and set out for Adrian's.

On the drive over I started to wonder what Adrian wanted to show us. Nothing, absolutely _nothing_ came to mind. There was nothing he could change in his apartment that would warrant us to come over especially to see. He had already showed us his new car. As far as I knew, his life was pretty boring. Maybe he just wanted some company. I couldn't blame him though; living alone would be pretty dull.

I parked the car and we all got out. I had a plan for tonight. I wasn't going to say anything to Adrian. I was going to act normal to everyone else but ignore him. If I didn't talk to him I wouldn't be tempted to do, or say, something I might regret.

We didn't even need to knock on the door, Adrian was already there waiting to welcome us in.

"Evening, Sage." He seemed in a good mood. I didn't reply, I didn't even acknowledge him at all. Out the corner of my eye I saw his smile falter. I felt bad, but it was better than the alternate.

As soon as I walked through the doors I saw it. In the far corner was an easel with a sheet covering the painting on it. So this is what he wanted to show us. It was just a painting though. I had seen Adrian's paintings in the past and they were great but I couldn't see why we had to see this one.

"Everyone, young and old, gather round. You won't want to miss this." Adrian was saying in a circus announcer's voice. I stood behind the others so I could only just see the painting; I didn't really want to have to give my opinion on this. Adrian rambled on a bit more with the announcement-y thing. _Would he just hurry up and show us already! _

Finally, finished with his little spiel, he unveiled the canvas.

Shock, complete and utter schlock went through me. It was a painting all in gold. My gold cross and my golden Lily. But it wasn't a perfect picture of them. My cross and Lily were smudged and swirled together so that you could only _just _tell what they were. The paint was laid thickly on the canvas so there were chunks here and there. It was the most beautiful think I had ever seen. The way my golden Lily was tangled with my cross was just breathtaking. Absolutely stunning. I could tell by the look on Adrian's face that he was proud of his work. I was proud of him too. _He could finish something he started._

Adrian looked to me. "So...?"

I was at a loss of words. I wasn't expecting anything like this. "It's amazing." Was all I managed to get out. He smiled proudly and went to the kitchen. _Was this what it was going to be like all the time now? Him trying to impress me?_I really could appreciate the beauty of this painting, but did he really have to show it to everyone like that. I contemplated following him into the kitchen but thought better of it. I was determined to keep to my plan and ignore him for the rest of the night. I went and sat down on the couch and crossed my arms. Jill came to sit next to me. "How great is his painting?" she was beaming. I suppose I could go along with this. "Yeah, it really is beautiful." That wasn't a lie though.

The rest of the night went fairly okay. Adrian kept trying to catch my attention but I just focused on where ever the conversation was going. I started to actually enjoy myself just when we had to leave. I hated having a curfew. We left in a line; Eddie out front, Angeline, Jill then I was last. Adrian stopped me at the door. Jill turned around and gave me a curious look. "It's alright, Jill. Just wait in the car; I'll just be a minute." She nodded and headed for the car. I turned to face Adrian. He kept his distance, which I was grateful for. "Do you really like the painting?" he asked innocently.  
"Of course I do. It really is amazing. I just don't understand why you painted this." He could have painted anything else in the world, but he chose this. I didn't quite get it.  
"Well for starters; it's you. Your golden Lily and gold cross are who you are. And _you_ are what gets me through each day. If it wasn't for your Lily and cross, where would I be now?" I thought I could sense some crazy spirit happening. He was searching my eyes for something. I'm not quite sure what, but he didn't seem to find it. He sighed. "I guess you had better go now." His eyes looked sad. I felt for him. I really did, but what could I _say_? I thought real quick and remembered something he had once teased me about. I wasn't ashamed to say it now though.  
"You're a brilliant artist. Yes I said it; I think you are _brilliant_." He smiled a little at that. Before I knew what I was doing, I reach out and hugged him. It wasn't romantic in any way, just pure friendship. I felt his arms gently squeeze me. We stayed like that for a minute. It was nice. Lately I felt like Adrian was slipping away a bit. Not just from me or his other friends, but from the world entirely. Maybe spirit was starting to overwhelm him. Maybe a hug was all he needed to come out of the spirit-induced darkness. I broke away from him. He was smiling softly, like all he really _did _need was a hug. I didn't say anything else; I was afraid I would say something stupid and ruin the moment. I missed having someone I could count on for anything. We used to have fun, but lately it had become awkward to say the least. I really hoped this was the start of the friendship we used to have.

I left his apartment with a smile playing on my lips, and headed out to Latte where the others were waiting. They didn't seem too bothered that they had to wait for me. I think they were all just glad that Adrian and I were finally back on speaking terms at least. We all jumped in and headed back to Amberwood. We made it back _just_ in time for curfew.

Eddie went his way and Jill, Angeline and I walked up to our dorms. "So are you and Adrian hooking up again yet?" Angeline said the most inappropriate things sometimes. Jill smirked, I giggled- actually _giggled_- and we exchanged a knowing look.

_I wish, _I answered Angeline in my head.

* * *

_**Note:**_ I _really_ enjoyed writing this chapter. I think Sydney is finally starting to realise how much she does like Adrian. And Adrian *swoon* is trying to win Sydney's affection, but is her Alchemist ways drilled too deep into her that she can never truly let herself be with him? Stay tuned to find out!

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Always and Forever,

behind-the-green-door


	4. Chapter 4

_**Chapter four**_

'So Marcus, you have _got _to tell us about the tattoo," I said. "What does it do?" I was completely intrigued, and seeing it in person made me just want to touch it.  
"Strigoi can't drink your blood, can they Sydney?" I was caught off guard. _How did he know this? _"Well they can't drink mine either; this tattoo makes it taste disgusting to them. The question is though, why can't they drink yours?"

_24 hours earlier_

"Sorry Jill I can't. I've got too much homework to finish." I really did want to hang out with her, Eddie and Angeline. But what I said was true. The amount of homework assignments I had to finish before the end of the week was unbelievable. I had I history essay on Benjamin Franklin and the invention of the lightening conductor in the 18th century. Sure, I knew a lot about the 18th century but it still took time to write a 2000 word essay. Ms Terwilliger had also given me a report to do on the correlation between real magic and superstitions. I was actually quite excited to do this. Ever since I used a few of her spells to avoid being captured by the Warriors I had been keen to learn more. Maybe I didn't want to practice magic, but I could certainly learn about it.  
Jill sighed when I refused her offer and stalked away. I headed up to my dorm prepared to get a good chunk of my assignments done. I decided to start with the magic and superstitions one first. I sat down at my laptop and began researching the first time magic was discovered. I found out that magic, in general, is just an amalgam of superstitions working to cause or prevent an event from occurring. This report was going to be a lot easier than I thought; nevertheless, I bunkered down and got stuck in to it. I finished it rather quickly so I read and re-read it just to make sure it all made sense. After a few little tweaks I found myself impressed by it, and moved on to the next assignment. I started researching Benjamin Franklin, just to make sure that my facts were 100% correct. Not that I needed to, of course. I was half-way through it when I decided I needed a break. I stayed on my laptop but searched a different thing. _Marcus Finch_. I was hoping a simple _Google _search might reveal something, _anything. _Nothing relevant showed up on the first page of results. Or the second. Or the third. Or the fourth. I was determined to find something so I trudged on. Finally on page forty–three, _forty –three!, _I found a single phone number. It was a cell number so I thought there would be no harm in texting it.

"_Hi, I was just wondering if this is Marcus Finch?_  
_The ex-Alchemist? I would love to talk to you, if  
you could call me on this number I would  
appreciate it. I know Clarence Donahue.  
Thanks for your consideration."_

I realised this text was quite long, but I hadn't even said half the things I wanted to say. I just hoped that he would call, or at least reply. I set my cell down and turned back to my computer. Although I didn't really feel like doing any homework now, I was too anxious to see what would happen with this Marcus guy. It was getting kind of late now too so I just decide to get some sleep.

I woke up the next morning with a pounding headache. _Coffee. _That's what I needed. I sat up slowly dragged my legs over the side. I was so drained. Walking like a zombie I made it to my small coffee maker and turned it on. Today was going to be a long day. I drank my coffee, then got dressed and headed down to the cafeteria to meet the others for breakfast.

Eddie was in an awfully good mood today, but Jill looked a little worse for wear. That's when it hit me. It was feeding day. I was guessing that they would all be grateful to get away from Amberwood, even if it _was _just for a couple of hours.  
"Hey Jill," I said, "It's feeding day today, which means you get to see Adrian as well!" Lately she had been a little down and Adrian could always cheer her up without even trying.  
"Oh yeah, I almost forgot! Now I have something to look forward to." She perked up a bit after that.

We all went our separate ways to class, except Eddie. He jogged to catch up to me. "Hey Sydney, I know its short notice but I was wondering if I would be able to borrow your car today? I was planning on taking Angeline out somewhere, and while Jill is at her feeding would be the perfect time. We wouldn't be gone long and I promise no harm will happen to your car. None whatsoever." He seemed adamant to reassure me nothing would happen to Latte. I was curious at first where they would go. There weren't really any places that seemed 'date worthy' around here. But nevertheless I agreed. I hated seeing when Eddie didn't like Angeline, but now that he does I couldn't help but feel sorry for Jill. She was strong though, and I couldn't see Angeline and Eddie getting very serious anytime soon.  
"Sure, I guess. Just make sure you are back in time for us to get back by curfew." I seriously still couldn't imagine where they would be going.  
"Thanks, you're the best Sydney." He replied.

The day felt like it dragged on forever, just like I had predicted this morning. I did, however, get some time to finish off my Benjamin Franklin essay. I handed it in to my teacher, a few days before it was even due, but that's just how I worked. I had to have everything ready before it was due. Finally the school part of the day ended and I trudged upstairs to my dorm to put my books away and grab my keys. When I was in my room I saw my cell phone sitting on my desk. _When did I go anywhere without it?_ I picked it up to see if I had missed anything. Just one text message. _From Marcus Finch_. I couldn't believe he had actually replied. Before I even read the text I started to panic. _What if it was the wrong Marcus? What if he was angry that some stranger had messaged him? What if…What if…what if… _I put my mind out of its misery and read the text.

"_I don't know who you are but if you're  
a friend of Clarence's then that's good  
enough for me. I'll see you around."_

Talk about cryptic! _What did 'I'll see you around' mean? If he doesn't know me, then how? _I decided I wouldn't reply. I would be seeing Clarence soon enough to ask him what this Marcus guys deal was. I grabbed my keys and headed down to Jill and Angeline's room. Sure enough, when the door opened Angeline was dressed in a cute dress, all ready for her date with Eddie. Jill on the other hand didn't look too happy. My guess was that she still had feelings for Eddie. I felt sorry for Jill; she had been through so much. I pushed away those thoughts and told myself she would be happy when she saw Adrian. I, on the other hand, was a bit nervous to see him, and I worried how he would act after we saw each other last. Hopefully things were back to normal.

Jill, Angeline and I headed downstairs and found Eddie waiting. His eyes lit up when he saw Angeline. Maybe they _were_ right for each other. But I _still _couldn't help but feel like Jill should have some love in her life. Maybe that person just wasn't Eddie. We walked to the parking lot where Latte was parked and piled in.

It didn't feel like we were in the car for all that long when we pulled into Clarence's driveway. Adrian yellow mustang, in all its glory, was there already. There was also another car. One I didn't recognize. A small dark blue Mini Cooper. _Maybe Clarence got a new car? _Although it didn't really seem like he went anywhere. I stopped the car and we all got out.

After a quick knock on the door Dorothy opened it and welcomed us in. We followed her to where the others were, but I could have just as easily followed the sound of loud laughter to find them. We walked into one of the sitting room and found Adrian, Clarence and another guy with his back to us. They all seemed as if they were having a great time. Adrian even looked interested. _That was rare. _The laughter stopped and Adrian and the other guy stood up.  
Adrian did the introducing. "Sage, this is Marcus Finch. Marcus, this is Sydney Sage."  
I couldn't believe it. Like actually, I didn't believe what I was seeing. I studied this 'Marcus'. He had straight blonde hair, with stunning blue eyes. He was very good looking, so much so that he even rivaled Adrian's good looks. If I had to guess, he was about a year tops, older than me. The thing that stood out the most was the tattoo on his left cheek. Rich indigo clustered crescents of different sizes covered his cheek. It looked almost like a vine, the way they were placed. _It was him. The one from the photo. _I quickly pulled myself together, so I didn't look like an idiot, and offered him my hand.  
"It's so nice to finally meet you." I said formally, as I shook his hand.  
"Likewise. I was eager to meet you after your text message yesterday. I was on my way here already and I hoped I would be able to meet the infamous Sydney Sage." Said Marcus. _How did he know who I was? _I had only just recently found out about him. Not that there _was _anything to find out. My mind felt like it was going crazy.  
"How did you know it was me that texted you?" I was curious so I just blurted it out. The others seemed to share my opinion too.  
"Well you mentioned Clarence in your text, so I decided I'd give him a call and see if it was still alright if I visited. I read him your text to see if he had any idea who sent it and he immediately said your name." _Was I that predictable? _Even Clarence could tell it was me. I was a bit embarrassed.

We all sat down and there was an awkward silence for a moment. Adrian broke it first. "So, tell us more about the time you were in Europe. How many Strigoi did you kill?"  
"You _kill _Strigoi?" I asked. Alchemists didn't outright kill Strigoi, but maybe now that he wasn't an Alchemist he did do that.  
"Yeah, I do. Ever since I left the Alchemists I decided that that is what I wanted to do. I was sick of sitting behind a desk, it didn't seem like I was doing anything useful. That was just one of the many reasons I left them." It didn't really seem like he wanted to tell the rest of the reasons so I asked another question.  
"How come the Alchemists have no record of you? I have looked but there's nothing." I was so curious about this question that I leant forward to hear his answer, nearly falling off my chair.  
"It's quite simple actually. I delete it. Everything they had on me, _gone_. Of course though, they didn't know I did that. They probably still don't." He seemed quite proud that he fooled the Alchemists. I was actually quite impressed too.  
We all talked for a little while longer. Eddie and Angeline had decided to postpone their date and stay with us. Adrian and Marcus seemed to be really hitting it off. Marcus was the first guy, close to his age, which he had talked to in a while, so it only made sense that they _would_ hit it off. Adrian seemed really happy, and I _really _hoped that Marcus would stay around for a while. Not just for my sake, to find out information, but for Adrian. He needed a friend.

There was one question that I had been too shy to ask before, but I forced myself to ask it now.  
"So Marcus, you have _got _to tell us about the tattoo," I said. "What does it do?" I was completely intrigued, and seeing it in person made me just want to touch it.  
"Strigoi can't drink your blood, can they Sydney?" I was caught off guard. _How did he know this? _"Well they can't drink mine either; this tattoo makes it taste disgusting to them. The question is though, why can't they drink yours?" I was stunned. He seemed to know so much about me. Yet I knew nothing of him. I hoped he would stick around long enough for me to find out about him.

_**Note:**_  
Ta Da! Marcus Finch and all his mystery! He is kind of hard to write because there is very little mention of him in the books, but I hope I did alright. There will be more Marcus in the next chapters to come. Only time will tell what his story really is. Love triangle, Adrian's new best friend or Jill's new love interest? You will soon find out!

Follow me on tumblr! theherondalelads . tumblr . com

Always and Forever,

behind-the-green-door


	5. Chapter 5

_**Chapter five**_

We were on the drive back from Clarence's and we were pushing it to get to Amberwood before curfew. We had been having a great time, getting to know Marcus, that the time had escaped us. We had to say rushed goodbyes and there was no mention of when we would see Marcus again. I really hoped it would be soon because there was still so much I needed to know. What was in his tattoo and where did he get it? What were all the reasons he left the Alchemists, and how did he actually pull it off? I had thought about what it would be like for me to leave but I could never quite see the whole picture. There were always bits missing. Like, what would happen to my family? It's not like they could just forget that I ever existed. Now I was really starting to wonder why nothing more had been done about Marcus Finch. You can't just run away from the Alchemists. They would hunt you down. Once an Alchemist, always an Alchemist. There wasn't an option; it was your whole life, no matter what. I was still so puzzled by this guy. I needed answers. And answers is what I was going to get.  
When we got back to Amberwood we walked passed Mrs. Weathers and she just gave us a stern look. I was worried she would go off her nut because we were 10 minutes late for curfew. We gave her a sly smile and went up to our rooms.

For the first time in a while I actually got a full night sleep despite all the questions that still needed answering. I guess it was the fact that my questions actually could be answered now made sleep come easily. The next morning I woke up feeling great. I got ready in a breeze; not really even paying attention to what I was wearing or how my hair looked. My main focus was on Marcus. Everything about him screamed suspicious, but I still wanted to talk to him some more. Maybe we'd end up being best friends or something. I decided that I would go back to Clarence's again today to see if Marcus was willing to shed some light on what happened with the Alchemists.

It was last period and I had just finished up my private session with Mrs. Terwilliger when I saw Jill and Angeline. Angeline was telling Jill something but by the look on Jill face she didn't want to hear it. The whole Eddie and Angeline situation was so hard for her. I could see how hard it was for Jill to act interested in anything Angeline ever said. We met up and went to the cafeteria together to find Eddie. He was there sitting with Micah laughing and looking like they were having a great time. As soon as Micah spotted Jill he said something to Eddie and left before anyone could even say hello to him. Lately it had been quite awkward to say the least between Jill and Micah. They had only broken up just recently and it was because Jill realized she liked Eddie. This whole situation was a mess. I didn't know if Jill needed comforting or if she needed space. I was clueless as to what to do with her. We all sat down with Eddie and talked about our day and homework and school stuff. My mind was still on Marcus so I had to ask what they thought about him.  
"Hey guys, what do you think about Marcus?" I only had to ask that one question and they all started talking over each other in excitement.  
Jill was saying "He is just so dreamy!" That comment was all it took for Angeline to gush over him as well. Eddie looked like he was a bit jealous of him because of how Angeline was acting about him. But Eddie still had nothing but nice things to say about him. "He seems so relaxed and easy going, kind of like me. I think if he were closer to my age we'd be friends." Everyone stopped talking and just stared at him. Eddie was anything but relaxed and easy going. There was no way a Guardian could be, especially when he was guarding a Princess. We all cracked up laughing and Eddie just death stared us.  
Then Jill surprised us all by saying: "No but seriously it's great to finally have someone that we can be ourselves around. Like he knows about us and knows what we are. But what do you reckon about telling him exactly _who _I am?" That question had us all stumped. We had no clue what he was actually doing here and if he already knew who Jill was or anything. For all we knew he could be part of some other organization trying to kill Jill. He certainly was a mystery. It was Angeline who came up with a semi-solution. "Why don't we just head over to Clarence's now and ask him. But if you ask my opinion I think he is just here to see Clarence, although I have no idea why he would want to do that. Clarence is so old and boring." We all laughed again at that. Leave it to Angeline to speak the truth. We decided to leave for Clarence's and just hope for the best.

The ride over was quick. Angeline and Eddie were in the back being all lovey-dovey, seeing as now that we weren't at school they could act however they wanted. I could tell Jill was trying not to pay attention though. She kept asking me odd questions about Marcus. "Do you think he thinks I'm pretty? Do you think he'd ever date me? Do you even think he noticed me?..." _Do you think this? Do you think that? Do you? Do you? _She went on and on. I just answered the absurd questions with things like " I'm sure he does Jill. He is a little old for you but I think he would if he could. I'm sure he is very nice." I certainly wasn't an expert on stuff like this so my answers we just to make her feel a bit better and take her mind off what was happening in the back seat.

We go to Clarence's house in good time. We still had a few hours left till curfew so we could hopefully get a few questions answered. We pulled up to his house and Adrian's car was there. That was surprising considering that today wasn't feeding day and also he didn't even like Clarence, _so what was he doing here? _I also noticed that Marcus's dark blue Mini Cooper wasn't there. So Adrian was here and Marcus wasn't. I was kind of disappointed. I was really looking forward to seeing Marcus. Maybe more than I had even realized. We all got out of Latte and walked up to the door. Maybe Adrian knew where Marcus was. Eddie knocked on the door and it was soon answered by Dorothy. Again I was surprised. Normally Adrian would answer the door if he was here before us. Nevertheless, we entered and followed Dorothy through the twists and turns of the house. I was fairly familiar with the layout so I knew we were headed to the living room. Dorothy stepped aside and ushered us through the door. There was only Clarence in the room and he was sitting in his comfortable armchair asleep. It was like Clarence sensed us or something because as soon as we sat down he jerked his head up. "What? I'm awake, I'm awake." He said in a way that he probably thought would convince us. I just laughed nervously and Jill covered me by asking where Adrian was. Clarence answered by saying: "Oh yeah him. Him. He went with Marcus somewhere. They left awhile ago so they should be back soon. They were muttering something about cars and parts or something." He tsked and mumbled something that sounded something like "Young kids these days". I was completely shocked that Adrian went anywhere with Marcus, let alone a car shop. Adrian had once said that his hands didn't do manual labor, so I couldn't imagine why he would agree to something like this.

An awkward silence fell over us all then Dorothy came in and offered us all drinks. I politely asked for a diet soda and the others asked for a Coke or something. I wasn't really paying attention because I was too caught up in my own thoughts about Adrian and Marcus. Dorothy brought our drinks back just as Marcus and Adrian walked in the door. I was so stunned. They were acting like they had known each other their whole lives. Laughing and punching each other like it was the most natural thing. I would never have guessed that Marcus used to be an Alchemist by the way he was mucking around with a vampire. _And Adrian._ I had never seen this side of him before. He was protective when it came to Jill. He was friendly enough around Eddie and Angeline. Most of the time he was completely closed off and distant to me. But with Marcus now he seemed totally relaxed, like nothing in the world could stop him from being happy. I liked seeing this in him. I hadn't seen him like this for a long time, so it was nice. Jill was excited to see both of them but only ran up and hugged Adrian. I was glad for that. I wasn't quite sure how Marcus would react.  
"Where did you go? We saw your car here but you weren't." Jill wasn't shy to ask whatever she was thinking. At least not when it came to Adrian.  
"Relax Jailbait. We just went down to the car parts place. Marcus was kind enough to buy me a part for my Mustang." Adrian replied. That didn't make any sense though. Adrian's car was perfect.  
"I didn't realize anything was wrong with it." I said. Then I turned to Adrian. "You could have just asked me to fix it." I was a little offended that he hadn't said anything. He knew I was good with cars.  
It was Marcus who answered. "Oh nothing was terribly wrong with it. I took a look under the hood and saw that there was a part that I could replace that would just make it run a bit smoother." I could tell that he was 'dumbing' it down. He probably thought I didn't know what he was talking about. _Well I would show him.  
_ "Are you talking about one of the spark plugs? Because I did notice last time I had a look that one of them could do with a change." He almost had to pick his jaw up off the ground. Honestly though, this was nothing compared to what else I knew about cars. This was just the basic stuff. Marcus recovered slightly and said, "Uh, yeah that's it." Everyone else knew that I loved cars so they weren't at all surprised.  
"Well do you want some help changing it?" I offered. He agreed and we started for the door. I stopped and turned. "Anyone want to join us?" I figured I should ask even though I already knew the answer.  
In unison they all said "No." I shrugged and followed Marcus out to Adrian's car. I popped the hood and we immediately got to work. It took almost no time, though, to change the spark plug because we were both experts on cars.  
"I wish I could take it for a drive. I've only driven it once, but it was completely amazing." I said.  
Marcus gave me a sly smile and said, "I'll be back in a second." Less than a minute had gone by when he came back. "Catch." He said. It was still a bit light out so I could see that he was throwing me keys. Adrian's keys to be exact. "Adrian only said to tell you: If you hurt my car, I hurt you. " I laughed out loud at that. Since when did Adrian think _I_ would hurt a car, let alone his beautiful mustang?

I walked over to the driver's door but Marcus was already there, opening it for me. _What a gentleman_. I got in the car and started it while Marcus walked around to the passenger seat. Once he was buckled up I took off down the driveway. "Woah, easy there girl." Marcus warned. But I ignored him and sped down the street towards the highway. Once I was out on the open road I was easily sitting at 150mph and I didn't have a care in the world. I figured now was a good a time as any to get some answers. "So what really made you leave the Alchemists? And don't tell me it was because you didn't like sitting behind a desk. That's a lame excuse and you know it." Marcus shifted uncomfortably in his seat. I didn't care though, I wanted answers.  
"Well, I guess you could say I had a difference of opinion with some of the higher up Alchemists. We didn't see eye to eye on a lot of things." Marcus said. I could tell that he really didn't want to give specifics so I didn't push that any further.  
Instead I asked, "What made you get that tattoo?" This question he didn't seem to mind answering.  
"On one of the rare times I was out in the field on a mission I heard about a certain tattoo that would change the taste of your blood. At first I wondered why the Alchemists wouldn't use it, but then I remembered that they don't care if a Strigoi bites one of their own because they can just send them to the re-education centre to make sure there aren't any bad effects. I was at a point in my life when I was seriously thinking if being an Alchemist was really the path for me, so I got the details of the tattooist just in case." He was speaking as though it all happened a life time ago. This led me to my next question. "Why that color and pattern though?" I asked with real curiosity. I slowed the mustang down a bit but kept my eyes on the road.  
Marcus spoke again. "In all honesty I have no idea. The tattoo guy said it had to be done exactly like this if I wanted it. Seeing as, by this time I was out of the Alchemists protection and on my own I figured I needed it if I wanted to live. And before you ask, yes I chose the location of it. As you well know the Alchemist tattoo isn't designed to be removed. I was no longer an Alchemist so I no longer wanted the lily on my cheek. The only way to get rid of it though was to have something tattooed over it." _Wow._ I didn't know what to expect, but it certainly wasn't that.  
It was getting late so we started to head back to Clarence's. I didn't want to miss curfew. "Okay, so one last question. For now that is." As I said that he laughed. "How do you have the training to kill Strigoi?" I had absolutely no idea how an Alchemist was able to do it. We were trained for the after-math, not the actual killing.  
"All Alchemists have really good coordination skills so it really didn't take me long to pick up a few moves of my own." He said.  
"Isn't it scary though?" I asked, still intrigued.  
"To tell the truth, at first it was. But not anymore. If you had seen some of the things I have, you would understand how much hate there is towards Strigoi. And when there is that much hate there isn't room for fear to enter the equation." I stole a quick look at him. He had a haunted look in his eyes. I figured that was enough questioning for now. I was starting to think maybe I didn't want to know what it was like to be an ex-Alchemist.

We got back to Clarence's with a bit of time to spare before we had to leave for curfew. Things had gone quiet between Marcus and I. I had a feeling that he didn't tell all that stuff to just anyone. We were walking up to the door when I turned to him. "Thanks for that." I said. He looked surprised. "For telling me that stuff. I know you probably don't like talking about it."  
"You're right. I don't usually tell people this stuff. But I like talking to you. It's easy. I'd probably even tell you what color underwear I'm wearing if you asked." I let out a genuine laugh just as the front door sprung open.  
"I was wondering where you two got to." It was Adrian.

_**Note:**_ ** This chapter was to just introduce Marcus a bit more. I hope you have a little better understanding of him. This was written at 2 am so I apologize for any grammatical errors. Also I will advise you that the next chapter will have a quality amount of Sydrian in it! Oh yes. Can't wait! :D  
So, I only just realized that Marcus Finch is actually a couple of years older than Sydney according to Richelle Mead, and she would know lol But for all intent and purposes the Marcus Finch in this story is 19 (only a year older than Sydney). I hope that doesn't confuse you at all.  
Now to address the fact that I have been ****a bit**** a lot slack on my updating. I know I said I would update every couple of days (meaning every 2 days) it will now be probably once a week, if that, because I'm so busy with work and school, and I can't believe I'm saying this but school is kind of important right now, it trumps my writing but only just. I will update as often as I can. There is still SO much of this story to be told!  
Another quick point, I love getting reviews! So **_**pretty please **_**let me know what you're thinking and whatnot. **

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**Always and Forever,**

**behind-the-green-door**


	6. Chapter 6

_**Chapter six**_

Adrian stepped out of the way and let Marcus and I through the door. Adrian and Marcus walked just ahead of me and were mucking around. They really were becoming friends. We walked through the twists and turns of the old hallways and finally ended up at the living room. We walked through the doors to find Clarence asleep again in his armchair and Jill, Eddie and Angeline having a debate over which was better: broccoli or cauliflower. I sat down next to Jill ready to jump into the conversation.

"The Queen of vegetables has finally arrived. Let's have your opinion Sydney." Announced Eddie.

"Well," I started, "broccoli and cauliflower are both related to cabbage. Although they do look totally different they are sometimes mistaken for each other. Also, when they are cooked they have a similar smell and taste. But if I had to say which I like better it would be cauliflower. It has slightly fewer calories in the same average size serving as broccoli."

Everyone had gone quiet and was just staring at me. _Didn't everyone know that stuff?_I laughed and blushed a little then everyone started laughing too. I'm not sure if they were laughing at me or with me though.

After awhile I didn't really feel like my input was necessary anymore so I excused myself to go and get a drink form the kitchen. Dorothy wasn't anywhere to be seen, so I just helped myself to a can of soda from the fridge. Diet, of course. I used the alone time to replay the conversation I had with Marcus. I tried to think of more questions that still needed answers just as the kitchen door opened.

It was Adrian.

He stood in the doorway with the door still open and I could tell by the look on his face that he was worried about how I would react to being alone with him. Honestly right now I wanted to be alone. Alone by myself. Not alone with Adrian. He didn't seem to notice though and let the door swing shut. It was quiet between us for a minute. I didn't really mind though because I was still thinking about Marcus and if he was really telling me the truth. He seemed like a good guy, but what did I know about that?

Adrian broke the silence first. "How was the drive? I hope you went easy with her." He said.

"I would never hurt her, don't worry." I laughed. "It really is an amazing car though. If you're ever selling it make sure you let me know first. You would have to sell it to me at mate's rates but I'm sure you wouldn't miss the money."

"For you Sydney, anything." He flashed me that amazing smile of his and my heart almost stopped beating. _Damn it. Why did he have this effect on me?_I was in desperate need to change the subject.

"So did you come in here for a drink, or…..?" It was lame I know, but I didn't want to have any discussion of feelings or anything that could turn into that. I just wasn't in the mood.

"I actually just came to talk to you." He said simply. He started walking towards me.

"Talk to me about what?" He was just a few steps away from me now.

"Actually that's a lie." He was right in front of me now. "I wanted to do this." He took one last step, and closed the distance between us. His left hand went around my waist and pulled me to him. His lips were on mine before I knew what was happening. His other hand at the nape of my neck made it impossible for me to break the kiss. And if I was being truly honest with myself, I didn't want to. His lips were like heaven. I stopped thinking and just let my body respond to his touch. I knew this was a bad idea but it was just so amazing. It was nothing like kissing Hayden. _Wait, Hayden? Or was it Brady? Brandon? Brody? Bradley? _I couldn't think of his name. he really was unmemorable. My hands went through Adrian's already messy hair in an attempt to pull him closer to me. There was a tiny part of me that still thought this was so wrong, but my thoughts were so muddled up that I didn't care.  
I was also confused when Adrian pulled away. His face was still very close to mine though. I realised he was waiting for my reaction. _Or permission?_ Either way I was all his. In that moment he could have done anything to me and I would have been totally fine with it. There was a nagging feeling in the back of my mind, like I really shouldn't be doing this, but I ignored it and pulled Adrian closer. A surprised noise escaped Adrian's mouth. _He thought I was going to push him away_. He recovered quickly though. Any nagging thoughts I had before were gone._ All_ my thoughts were gone. I was entirely lost in him. This moment was perfect, but I knew it couldn't last.  
At last I pulled away.

"I'm sorry." I sighed.

"There is nothing to be sorry for. I have been waiting so long for you to show that you actually do feel something for me." He was smiling now. It seemed there was no way out of it this time. Maybe it was better if he knew the truth.

"What do you want me to tell you?" I asked. "That you _aren't_ the first thing on my mind in the morning and the last thing on my mind at night? That when I'm around you my heart _doesn't_ feel like it's going to fly away? That I _can _think straight when I'm talking to you? That almost every thought _isn't_ about you. I honestly can't believe you haven't noticed." I sucked in a breath and I could feel my face burning. _Wow. What was I doing? _Adrian's eyes were wide.

"This isn't the time to joke, Sage." He said finally. He still looked dumbfounded.

"I hardly joke, you know that." I really never thought I would be the one having to prove my love. _Love. Was that what this was? _I didn't know and frankly I didn't want to think about it. It was all too much. Being an Alchemist was too important to me to just throw away. What if Adrian didn't end up being _the one_? I would have thrown my entire life for nothing. I wasn't prepared to make that decision anytime soon.

"Sydney, are you saying what I think you're saying?" His face looked hopeful, if that was possible.

"Yes. Maybe. No. I don't know. All I know is that it doesn't change anything. And it never will. You have to understand how important being an Alchemist is to me. It's all I know. It's who I am. I can't, I _won't _turn my back on that." I didn't like having to tell him this but it had to be this way.  
All of a sudden Adrian burst out in laughter. For a second I thought he mustn't have heard me, but he had. I truly thought he had gone insane.

"What on earth could be funny about this situation?" Did I miss something? He was acting so strange.

"You think I'm _gorgeous_….You want to_ kiss_ me….You want to _hug_ me….You want to _love _me.." Adrian was actually singing.

I hoped no one was listening. "You're being ridiculous Adrian." I said, but I didn't think he was listening. He tried to pull me into a hug but I pushed him away. Just because he knew how I felt about him didn't mean I was going to give in and risk everything. I still stood by what I said about not wanting to leave the alchemists. _I think._

"Come on Sydney, loosen up. What is stopping us now? You know how I feel and now you have finally admitted how you feel. You can't still be scared about the alchemists. I will do everything in my power to protect you from them. You have to know that." I knew he wasn't lying but it didn't make me feel any better.

"Of course I am scared. I have grown up with only knowing what the alchemists believe. I can't just change my whole life overnight. It is going to take some time. That's if I even want to change. I don't know anything else. I can't even imagine not being a part of them. They are my whole life." I was starting to get upset. I think he could see it too. It didn't stop him from saying what he wanted to though.

"Okay then" Adrian said. "I'm not going to push you into something you don't want." I could tell he was trying to use the guilt card.

"You have no idea how much I want this. But it just isn't possible right now. It might never be possible." I didn't want to hurt him. But it might be the only way to get him to take a step back, figuratively of course.

"You're right, I'm sorry." He said.

"Okay. As long as were on the same page."

"Well to be honest," Adrian said, "If this were a book I would just skip this page and turn straight to the part where we get together." he sighed. "That will happen though, wont it? We _will _end up together. I mean, we have to. I don't see it any other way."

"I'm sorry, I don't know the answer to that." I sighed. This was too hard for me. I could feel my face burning but I didn't care. I was just glad that I wasn't crying. At least not yet.

"Come on. We should probably get back to the others." I wanted to stay there with him though, just a little longer, but I knew if I did he would end up convincing me to quit the Alchemist stuff and run away with him or something absurd like that. A small part of me wished he had suggested that.

We walked silently back to the living room. The doors were shut.

Adrian turned to me and said "Are you sure you want us to go in together. I mean, someone could get the wrong idea about us." I knew he was just being an asshole so I laughed sarcastically and pushed past him.

Everyone was still sitting in the same spots as before. Everyone, except Jill. She had gotten up and walked over to link her arm with mine. My face burned up again as I realised Jill probably just saw what happened through the bond. She was smiling as big as she could when we sat down together. _Yeah, she definitely knew. _

For the rest of the night we played eye spy. Clarence's house was pretty old so it had lots of weird quirky things that made the game quite interesting.

When it was time to leave Marcus said he would show us out. The long twisting hallways were quite narrow so we had to walk in twos. Adrian was next to me and the others were all in front. Adrian was quiet for the first time I could remember. Usually he had something to say, either insulting to someone or at the very least very opinionated. I didn't want to say anything either. So we just walked in silence.

We were almost at the front door when Adrian stopped walking. I stopped too and turned to ask him what the matter was. He had a look on his face like he was trying to decide something. Before I could ask he pulled me to the left, down another one of the hallways, so we were out of view from the others. Although, they were far enough ahead that they wouldn't have seen us anyway. He pushed me up against the wall. His face was just centimeters from mine.

Then his lips were on mine, for a third time that night. This was a different kind of kiss though. It was slow and meaningful, full of love and affection. Don't get me wrong, my heart was still racing but there was more to this kiss than just lust or hunger or need. I couldn't help but feel like it was goodbye. I pulled back for a second.

"What are you doing?" I asked. Not angry at all, just surprised.

"I can stop if you want." he replied with a smirk. There was no way that I wanted him to do that.

"Don't be ridiculous." I pulled him back to me and the kiss deepened. It turned into a desperate need to be as close to his body as possible. I was squashed between Adrian's body and the wall, but that wasn't the reason I was finding it hard to breathe. It seemed like Adrian was having a hard time breathing as well. I realized that I liked having this effect on him. I was surprised though that I, Sydney Katherine Sage, the boring alchemist could make Adrian Ivashkov, the Royal Moroi party boy breathless. What was even more surprising to me was that I wasn't even pushing him away. I had been doing that for so long that I was sick of always being so restrained.

Coming back to reality now though, it occurred to me that the others would probably be waiting outside for us,_ again_. As much as it pained me, I pulled away from Adrian.

"We should go. Curfew is soon." I said.

"Are…you…sure…you…want…to go?" he said, in between kisses.

"Yes." I said as confidently as I could manage. "I'm sure." I untangled my hands from around his neck and he took a step back. "And for future reference; you can't do this again. And I mean it. I'm not ready to throw away my life yet. I'm not ready to betray the alchemists more than I already have. I don't know if I ever will be ready."

"Okay." He put his hands up as if he was surrendering. "It won't happen again. I can be patient. I'll wait for you." Then he turned and walked away. He didn't even give me a chance to say anything else. There probably wasn't anything I _could _say though.

**Note:**** I finished this chapter a little earlier than originally planned. I just got sick of writing all the lovey dovey stuff. I love Sydrian so much, but I just think its time for some action. Which is why the next chapter will contain the introduction of Ms Terwilliger's older sister. Yes guys, get excited.**

**I would just like to also mention that Sydney is still a developing character in my mind so I don't think it was unreasonable for her to behave this way. She hasn't been around many alchemists in a long while so her guard has been let down considerably. BUT in saying that, if you think she is WAY out of character don't be afraid to let me know.**

**I also realize this update has taken a very long time, but I just don't have the motivation to write very often. Maybe some reviews would help that, if I knew people actually read this. Maybe let me know if you like it, or hate it. Anything would be much appreciated. I can't improve my writing if no one tells me what I need to improve on.  
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**Thanks guys (:  
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